


brighter than a blue sky

by NightshadeDawn



Series: butterflies of fate [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Sakamoto Ryuji, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Phantom Thief Suzui Shiho, Pretty Boy Ryuji, Pretty Boy Sakamoto Ryuji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:13:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27160270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightshadeDawn/pseuds/NightshadeDawn
Summary: Ann is conflicted about the relationship between Shiho and Akira. When she and Ryuji discover what's really going on between them, those conflicted feelings only grow.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Suzui Shiho, Sakamoto Ryuji & Suzui Shiho, Sakamoto Ryuji & Takamaki Ann, Suzui Shiho & Takamaki Ann
Series: butterflies of fate [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938373
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	brighter than a blue sky

Ann wasn’t the kind of person who didn’t like her friends having other friends. As a matter of fact, especially when it came to Shiho, Ann _wanted_ her to have more friends so she wouldn’t be lonely when Ann and Ryuji were busy with the modeling stuff. She wasn’t the kind of person who would gatekeep Shiho’s friends either… or a boyfriend if she wanted one! But did it really have to be… _him_?

 _Him_ being the transfer that sat behind Ann. Akira Kursuru, the resident delinquent that somehow skipped half his classes but still knew every answer he was asked. He was attractive, in the way some boys were just unfairly _pretty_ but not front cover worthy like Ryuji had become in the last couple years. And if he thought he was being sneaky with the cat in his desk (Ann _did_ think it was cute how he’d give it snacks during class and play with it during lunch time when he thought no one was looking) he was _very_ wrong. But he was a _delinquent_ , which meant bad news. 

Even if Ann didn’t completely believe all the rumors about him, he was already on Kamoshida’s bad side, and that didn’t bode well for anyone who got close to him. So Ann felt justified in her worry about Shiho’s safety.

But they were just-! They were always together! Two weeks into the school year and they were attached at the hip! Ann and Ryuji had had a total of _three_ days off and Shiho had spent all three of them with Akira!

No, Ann was not jealous, thank you very much. She had Ryuji, and he was more into the fighting games than Shiho and that suited her just fine if Shiho wanted to abandon them to their games and go out and play with her new hot boyfriend-

Okay, she was a little jealous. Maybe. Just a teensy bit. More worried than anything is she was being perfectly honest. What kind of life would he lead her down? What kind of danger would he put her in? What if he compromised her future doing something stupid?

It was one of the reasons she brought him up during the meeting with Principal Kobayakawa, Mr. Maki, and the student council president. 

“We’ll have to deliberate very carefully about their tutor,” Principal Kobayakawa told Mr. Maki, using the same tone he used to placate Kamoshida or to suck up to their parents. Mr. Maki had been in the business longer, though, and didn’t really seem fazed by it.

“I don’t care who it is,” Mr. Maki said, tapping his fingers on his folded arms. “I just want to make sure that they have the best possible tutor. I can’t have my models modeling if they’re taking remedial classes.”

“Of course, of course,” Principal Kobayakawa rubbing his hands together. “Of course, we do have Nijima-san here-”

“What about the transfer student in my class?” Ann said, twirling a pigtail and hoping she didn’t look just as bored as she felt, but sure she did considering Ryuji was always telling her that her acting was atrocious. 

Makoto’s eyes widened. “I don’t think that’s-”

“He never gets his answers wrong and he’s always diligently note taking,” Ann continued, as if Makoto hadn’t spoken. “To the point it’s kind of annoying, actually. I can hear the scratch of his pencil every time. But that just means he’s taking good notes, right?” Ryuji gave her a blithering, confused look that would have been more effective if it was one or the other and his hair wasn’t pink.

“Is he really that good?” Mr. Maki questioned, raising an eyebrow at Principal Kobayakawa. 

“W-Well, all of his teachers have praised his ethic, certainly-” he began.

“Well, that’s good then,” Mr. Maki said, pushing up his glasses. “He is already acquainted with Ann-chan due to their shared class, so they won’t need to take the time to get acquainted and comfortable with each other.”

“Y-Yes, there is that-”

“His mock quizzes all came back on Monday with one-hundred percents on them too,” Ann said. The only subject Ann could pride herself on was English, and even she had only gotten a 78 on her quiz, the second highest score for the entire class. She’d been practically fuming as she passed his paper back to him.

“It’s just that he’s- he’s a bit-”

Mr. Maki pushed his glasses up once more. “As I’ve said before, I only desire the best for my models,” he stated. “And if Ann-chan is advocating for him so strongly, I can only say the same. What is this boy’s name?”

“Akira Kursuru,” Makoto said, tone dry. She didn’t look at either model or Mr. Maki. 

Mr. Maki nodded and stood. “I will leave it to you to set up the sessions with Kursuru-san,” he said, placing a card on the table. “If he has questions or requires payment, please give him my card. Come along, Ann-chan, Ryuji-kun. We’ll be late for your shoot if we linger any longer.”

Ann and Ryuji both got to their feet and followed Mr. Maki to the front of the school. Mr. Maki instructed them to stay put until he’d pulled the car around, which they did without complaint. However, Ryuji grabbed Ann’s arm and dragged her close.

“What are you doing?” he hissed in her ear. “Mr. Maki’s gonna kill us if he finds out who Kursuru is-!”

“I’m curious about him,” Ann said, folding her arms and jutting her hip out. “I want to know what’s so great about him that got Shiho so hooked and involved with him.”

Ryuji sighed heavily. “We are so dead,” he grumbled, pulling a hand down his face.

Ann huffed. “After I’ve discovered what I want, then we can just say he’s not a good tutor and we’ll find someone else,” she said. “See? Not that hard. Mr. Maki doesn’t need to know.”

Ryuji groaned. “If this becomes a disaster, it’s your fault.”

“It won’t! Nothing going to happen!” Ann stated, jabbing Ryuji’s side and following him down to Mr. Maki’s car as it pulled up to the base of the stairs. 

To Ryuji’s credit, Akira looked as uncomfortable as Ryuji felt at their first session. Ann either didn’t notice how uncomfortable the two boys were, or else she just didn’t care. Or maybe she was enjoying watching Akira squirm, with how she was smirking and twirling her pen, not even focused on the math problem Akira was attempting to show them how to do. 

And, well, Ryuji couldn’t fault her for that either because this was the first time he was this close to the guy and… was he always that pretty? No guy should be that pretty. Ryuji knew guys could be _attractive_ , he worked with other models on the regular, and some of them guys, so he knew guys were just like… good looking. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, easy on the eyes, attractive… but _pretty_?

That was like, unfair. And Akira didn’t even act like a delinquent up close. He was quiet, talking way too politely when he did. He never met Ann or Ryuji’s eyes, a hard feat seeing how standout both of them looked. And yet… 

There was really only one part of Akira that bothered Ryuji, aside from the rumors and the fact the teachers had all but confirmed several of them and the possibly of how Mr. Maki would react to the knowledge of his record, was the dark blemishing bruises on his otherwise perfectly pale skin. They seemed out of place, carefully hidden under the layers of clothing, though not quite hidden enough to avoid Ryuji’s gaze.

Without even meaning to, Ryuji reached out and brushed his fingers against Akira’s neck, pulling down his collar to expose the bruise there even further. It was a dark, ugly color, tinged in a wicked yellow and green. Akira flinched back in surprise and a flicker of pain, holding a hand over where Ryuji had touched, as if the mere brush of skin had burned him.

Ryuji’s eyes went wide when he realized what he did, lowering his hand. “Uh, sorry…” he said, voice quiet and barely heard. 

Ann took the jerking movement to dive right into her planned interrogation. “Where’d you get the bruise?” she questioned. 

Akira adverted his gaze, hand still on his neck and not answering. He bit on the inside of his lip, as though thinking carefully about his next words. His closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. “A fight…” he said finally, and Ann sent Ryuji a _I told you_ smirk.

“Wow,” Ann continued, turning her attention back to Akira, and Ryuji hoped that Akira was at least a _little_ dumb or else Ann’s lackluster acting was going to bring doom to them both. “I hope they don’t come after you again. If Shiho was with you, that would be really dangerous, wouldn’t it?”

Akira’s eyes shot open, burning with a fire that Ryuji had not really expected to come from him. Not that Ryuji knew him, but there’d been no sign he _could_ have such a ferocious look. Ryuji hadn’t seen that kind of hateful gaze since before his father had left.

“I would never let her get hurt,” Akira said, voice so low and full of sincerity that Ryuji couldn’t help but believe he’d put his life on the line for Shiho. Or maybe that he already had. He seemed more and more mysterious the more Ryuji watched him.

Ann hummed, tapping her fingers against her chin and holing the pen in her other hand a little too tightly. “Wouldn’t it be better to ensure she would never get into a situation like that in the first place?” Ann stated, eyes narrowing.

“I can’t control where she goes or what she does.” Akira looked at the clock hanging on the wall and shut his textbook a little too forcefully, making the sound echo around the room. He stood, pushing away from the table. “I shall see the two of you next time. Club time is over and Shiho will be waiting for me. Takamaki-san, Sakamoto-san.”

He bowed shortly before leaving in a hurry. Ryuji let out a breath of relief, slumping into his chair and hanging his head off the back. “Didja find out what you wanted from him?” he asked. 

Ann crossed one leg over the other, tapping her pen on her knee with a frown on her face. “Not in the least,” she grumbled. “He’s totally hiding something! And you were _so_ not helping. I saw how you were ogling him!”

“I wasn’t oglin’ nobody! Ain’t my fault he’s pretty.”

“Pft.” Ann tossed a pigtail over her shoulder and stood. “I’m going to find out what’s going on with them!”

Ryuji jumped to his feet to run after her as she left the classroom. “Ann, wait-!” Her stride was fast, despite the heels. “You ain’t serious, are ya?”

Ann lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t stop walking for a second. “Of course I am!” she exclaimed. “This concerns Shiho! That guy’s suspicious! She always used to look exhausted, but she’s looking even more sick after hanging out with that guy! Haven’t you noticed!?”

She was getting almost hysterical, but it wasn’t like it wasn’t understandable. Of course Ryuji knew. He’d offered, over text message because he rarely actually got to _talk_ to Shiho in person anymore, if she had anything bothering her or if she needed soup or medicine or something. She’d denied it all, claiming she just needed more sleep. And if she was going to refuse help, what exactly was he supposed to do?

Ryuji followed Ann out of the school with a heavy sigh and let her tug him down the alleyway across from it, following behind Akira and his weird black cat. He sighed again when Ann pushed him against a wall and leaned around the corner. Ryuji followed her lead and spotted Akira and Shiho standing really close together.

Akira barely opened his arms before Shiho fell into them and Akira held her close, rubbing her back comfortingly. Shiho’s arms went around Akira’s middle, returning the hug. At least the loud yowl the cat gave was close enough to what Ryuji though on the matter, making the two break apart.

“We really don’t have to do this today,” Akira said, still holding onto Shihio’s arm, squeezing it comfortingly. 

Shiho shook her head and quickly brushed her bangs out of her face. “No, I’m fine,” she said. “I’ve still got enough energy to do this!” The way Akira’s shoulders were still tensed was proof enough that he didn’t quiet believe her, but he didn’t voice an argument. Shiho smiled at him, a little teasing, a little amused. “Are you still worried about people finding out about us?”

“I’m more worried about what they’ll do if they find out you’re doing something like this with me,” Akira said.

Shiho lightly punched Akira’s arm as Ann pulled Ryuji back around the corner, preventing him from listening in on the rest of their conversation. Ann’s face was beet red and she didn’t look up at Ryuji’s face. 

“I can’t believe this!” she hissed in the direction Shiho and Akira were in. “She didn’t even tell us they were dating and she’s doing something like that-!”

Ryuji shrugged Ann’s hand off of him and shrugged. “I dunno, it sounded kinda ambiguous…”

“What else could it have meant!?” Ann questioned, poking Ryuji’s stomach and glaring at him. Ryuji didn’t have an answer for that, but the cat once again drew his attention and he leaned around the corner again.

Shiho and Akira were huddled over a phone, the cat pacing at their heels. 

“He’s at least worryin’ over her safety, yeah?” Ryuji said. “That means he’s treatin’ her right, right? You ain’t gotta worry ‘bout her, yeah?”

Ann shot Ryuji a blithering glare. “You’re hopeless,” she hissed. She turned back to the two. “What are they saying…?”

Ryuji closed his eyes, frowning as he tried to listen in on them. “Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert castle…?” He opened his eyes and turned to Ann. “I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I,” Ann said, standing straight and leaning against the wall. She shook her head. “I’m going to go confront them!”

Before Ryuji could even speak, Ann was off. He came around the corner to follow her, but almost ran into her. Shiho and Akira were gone. 

“I think they went around that corner,” Ann said, going forward again, footsteps sure. Ryuji kept pace with her. 

“Doesn’t that loop back to Shujin?”

“The long way,” Ann agreed. 

Ryuji shook his head and followed Ann around the corner and back around to the school.

…Which was no longer the school, but instead a giant castle with a purple sky.

“The hell is this!?”

“What the… this is the school, right!?”

Both stood shock still, looking up at the imposing castle before them. 

“It- It can’t be the school,” Ryuji said. “We weren’t payin’ attention and took a wrong turn, prolly lost them-”

“No!” Ann exclaimed, taking Ryuji’s sleeve and pointing. “That’s Shujin’s sign! And I was watching them the entire time! We didn’t lose them until- Who are they?”

Ann and Ryuji cautiously got closer to the school-turned-castle, three figures coming into view. A man in a long black coat, a _literal ninja_ , and a monster cat.

“What the heck is going on!?” Ann shrieked, causing all three to turn towards them.

“Ann!? Ryuji!? How did you-!” Right away, as soon as they were turned towards him, Ryuji knew the eyes behind that wolf mask, and that wasn’t accounting for how familiar the voice was. 

“Shiho!?” Ann’s jaw dropped, and she looked towards the man. “And that means you’re-!?”

The man, rather boy, had familiar eyes too. Unrealistically pretty, though with a cutting edge to them, glinting red in a way Ryuji didn't think should have been possible. 

“What are you doing here?” Shiho demanded, stepping in front of Akira and the monster cat.

“We follow ya because we were worried ‘bout you,” Ryuji said as Ann floundered. “But what’s with the costumes…?”

“And the castle!” Ann shouted. “What’s going on here!?”

Shiho and Akira exchanged a look before nodding slightly to one another. Shiho turned back to them. “I’ll, uh, explain later,” she said, grabbing Ann’s shoulder. Before Ryuji could react, Akira had taken his arm and began dragging him, Shiho doing the same with Ann.

Both Ann and Ryuji struggled, but Shiho was several times than Ann on a bad day and Ryuji’s muscles didn’t exactly get used for their real purpose and were mostly show by that point. Also, how the _hell_ was someone as skinny as Akira that strong on top of being pretty? _Unfair._

Before they knew it, Ann and Ryuji found themselves on the stone steps of Shujin Academy and Akira and Shiho were gone again. Leaving no clue about how to follow them again. 

Both fidgeted grumpily on the steps, displeased with how the events had unfolded. With a huff, Ryuji pulled out his phone and began mindlessly flipping through apps, suddenly stopping at the sight of an unfamiliar app. His thumb hovered over the red eye icon.

“Hey, Ann, you ever seen this thing before?” Ann looked over with visible disinterest as Ryuji held his phone up for her to look. “You think it’s a virus or somethin’?”

“How would I know?” she asked with an irritated sigh. “Maybe you just forgot you downloaded it or something. Don’t you have something that automatically deletes viruses from your phone?”

Ryuji hummed in agreement and went back to the app, frowning as he tried to remember if he had ever downloaded such a thing. It was nestled among his other apps like it had been the for forever, so it was possible. But it didn’t exactly look like something he’d have downloaded, never having been into the whole occult thing others found interesting. He clicked on the app, opening it up and flipping through some of the functions. 

Ann sighed again, tapping on her cheek. “I don’t get it,” she complained. “What were they talking about earlier? What did they say before they ran off…? Something about Kamoshida and Shujin… and they mentioned that pervert castle…”

“ _Location confirmed_ ,” said an automated, vaguely female voice from Ryuji’s phone. Ryuji dropped it when the world began to warp strangely, pushing and pulling like half-melted taffy. 

In a matter of seconds, they no longer sat on the steps of Shujin Academy, but instead in front of the castle from before. The two turned to each other, eyes wide. 

“We should look for them.”

“Yeah.”

Akira, Shiho, and Morgana, dubbed Joker, Estelle, and Mona in this strange world, had hardly made their way very far into the castle when they were chased into a safe room, a commotion going on outside. Morgana pressed his ear against the door, listening to what was going on outside of it.

“Tch,” he huffed. “I can’t hear a thing. I’ll be back.” Before Akira or Shiho could argue, Morgana ran out of the door. 

Shiho put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips. “For all that talk of working together and being a team, he sure likes to run off on his own, doesn’t he,” she said, earning a nod from Akira. 

What couldn’t have been more than a minute later, Morgana returned, looking panicked. “They have Lady Ann!” he exclaimed. “And that pink monkey that was with her!”

It was Shiho’s turn for panci to overtake her features. “But we sent them back!”

“If they somehow got the app like you did…” Akira said. Shiho’s face paled further. 

“We have to get them out of here. It’s way too dangerous!”

Akira nodded and Morgana growled. “Right! Let’s get going! There’s no time to waste!”

Shiho led the charge out of the safe room, following the shouts of Ryuji and Ann. 

“Look, I’m sorry for knockin’ down yer damn suit, but c’mon man-!”

“He doesn’t get it,” Shiho hissed, pushing onwards. Her legs were already straining from the harsh practice she’d endured before entering the Palace, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from going as fast as she could to get to her friends.

By the time she and the boys had reached the room Ryuji and Ann had been taken to, Ann was tied up on what looked almost like a cross and Ryuji was forced to his knees, arms held behind his back by one of the silver guards. And there, in all their mostly naked glory, was King Kamoshida and Princess Ann.

“What the hell is this!?” Ann screamed, pulling on the iron holding her down. “Let us go, you sick pervert!”

King Kamoshida laughed, his tone cruel. “How could anyone mistake _my_ Ann for this pathetic copy?” he said, feeling up Princess Ann’s sides while she rubbed herself against him. The sight of it made Shiho see red. King Kamoshida turned his attention to Ryuji. “This pathetic pest doesn’t deserve to even be in my sight. Dispose of him!”

“Stop it!” Ann shouted while Ryuji whimpered. 

“I don’t wanna die-!”

Kamoshida approached Ann as she attempted to pull free. “But it looks like you want to go first,” he said, grabbing Ann’s chin and giving her that disgusting smirk of his. “What should I start with…? Your arms, your legs…?” His eyes roamed her body, lingering on her chest. “Or perhaps your clothes…”

“No!” she screamed, trying to pull away from him. 

“It was your fault, you know,” Kamoshida said, pulling away form her. “If you hadn’t denied me, I wouldn’t have had to bother with that bitch and wouldn’t have taken her. She was feisty for a while too… but I broke her spirit quick enough.”

Ann’s eyes went wide. “My… fault…?” she slumped in her restraints, hands clenching into fists. “Shiho…”

“Don’t listen to him!” Shiho shouted, taking a step forward, her scarf flowing behind her. “All he is is a despicable bastard! The only one at fault here is _him_!”

Ann clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. “You’re right,” she hissed. A boom resounded through her body and it began to contort in pain.

" _My... It's taken far too long_ ,” a woman’s voice said. “ _Tell me... Who is going to stop him if you don't? Forgiving him was never the option... Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within... I am thou, thou art I... We can finally forge a contract... There you go... Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself. Understand?”_

“I understand… Carmen,” Ann said, lifting her head. A blood red cat mask covered it, bright blue flames licking at her arms and legs as she broke he restraints. She stepped away from the cross, her uniform melting into a skintight jumpsuit. 

“ _Then I'll gladly lend you my strength_ ," her Persona said, practically gleeful.

“Where do you keep finding these people?” Morgana questioned before leaping into battle at Ann’s side. 

Shiho and Akira joined them, attacking relentlessly. Akira broke away from the formation of four, intending to go to Ryuji’s side. But the broken formation proved to be their downfall, each Persona user slammed into the ground by one of the Shadow guards, with Akira just inches away from Ryuji.

“Tch, irredeemable scum!” King Kamoshida shouted. “Attacking your king like that! Ha! I will just take out five bird with one stone!”

Ryuji shook with fear. He may have been strong, but were his muscles really all just for show? He couldn’t do anything but wait around to be rescued, and now he was going to _die_ because he couldn’t do anything. Was he… really a use to anyone? Was he really that useless…?

Ryuji gritted his teeth. _I don’t want to die._ He looked at each of the figures laying prone on the ground, trapped under metal boots and sharp swords. _I don’t want them to die. I want to protect them._

“ _You made me wait quite a while_ ,” said a voice as a boom went through Ryuji’s body. “ _You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...? The ‘other you’ who exists within desires it thus...I am thou, thou art I...There is no turning back...The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth_!"

A scream ripped forth from Ryuji’s throat and he was dropped to the ground by the surprised guards. He struggled onto his knees, reaching for his face where the pain was centered. He grabbed the metal mask formed there and pulled, pulling until it came off in a burst of blood. The blue fire surrounded him as he stood, shooting out to knock the guards and Kamoshida off their feet, and fading away to reveal a pirate-like ensemble. 

“What’s up, Persona?” Ryuji said, grinning as he examined his glove covered hands. “Let’s go… Captain Kidd!”

Each of the others rose, battered and bruised, but still able to hold their own as Ryuji jumped into the fray and aided in the fight. By the time Kamoshida and the rest of his guards had scattered, Ryuji and Ann were both exhausted and they leaned against each other pitifully.

“We can’t stay here,” Morgana said. “We need to get going.”

“I still want answers about the talking cat,” Ryuji said as Akira pulled one of his arms over his shoulders.

“I’m not a cat!” Morgana shrieked as Shiho did the same for Ann.

“…Said the talking cat,” Shiho said, making Morgana yowl.

The group didn't stop until they were back in the alleyway across from Shujin. Ryuji and Ann slumped against each other on the ground while Shiho ran off without a word, returning minutes later with an armful of drinks. She passed Ann and Ryuji their favorite drinks (a non-bubbly but refreshingly lemon tasting water for Ann and a highly carbonated monstrosity Mr. Maki would scold Ryuji for if he found out he was drinking). When she went to hand Akira his own drink, he tried to press some yen into her hand to pay her back, but Shiho wordlessly refused it, causing a standoff for several moments until Akira reluctantly took the drink.

“What about me?” Morgana whined, flicking his tail.

Ryuji gave him a bewildered look. “But you’re a cat.”

Morgana hissed and Ann studied him. “You really are a talking cat,” she mused. 

Morgana huffed. “I’m not a cat!” he screeched. “A real, legitimate human!”

“That’s right,” Ann said, folding her hands in her lap. “…What made you look like this then?”

Morgana froze in place, only the tiniest of his hairs flicking. “I, er, well, that is…”

“He’s not exactly sure,” Shiho said, leaning down to scritch his head. “He said he lost his memories, but the Metaverse-”

“That other world,” Akira said when Ryuji and Ann gave them odd looks.

Shiho nodded along with him. “Yeah, it’s probable that his lost memories are there,” she finished. 

Akira tapped the toe of his shoe on the ground, looking around almost as if he was nervous. “We shouldn’t stick around,” he said. “We should go somewhere else to talk more.”

Shiho’s eyes sparkled and she got close to Akira, their faces embarrassingly close for any outsider. “Do you think Boss would give us some curry if we went to Leblanc?” she questioned, and Ann could just _see_ the drool trying to drip out of her mouth.

Akira gave her a look that was a mix between a smirk and a playful grin. “If he doesn’t, I’ll treat you.”

The first time Shiho had followed Akira home (and she had followed, despite Akira’s insistence that she went back home to sleep and rest up) had also been the day Morgana had decided he was going to be Akira’s personal annoyance, so when Akira turned up at Leblanc with a girl and cat in tow, Sojiro had been reasonably confused. Entering Leblanc with yet another girl and a boy with bright pink hair resulted in a pinched expression on Sojiro’s face that Akira couldn’t quiet understand but took for yet more confusion.

“So people actually like you despite the probation,” Sojiro said once Shiho had led Ann and Ryuji upstairs. 

Akira shrugged nonchalantly, scuffing his shoe on the ground. “Maybe they like me because of it,” he said, tone deadpan in the sort of way that made adults confused on if you were serious or not. Sojiro did not look impressed. “I tutor them, and they’re Shiho’s friends.” Very attractive friends, but that was something Akira was going to keep to himself.

Sojiro waved at him to get lost and Akira made his way up to the rest, who had made themselves comfortable on his couch and bed. Akira joined Ryuji on the bed, hands twitching nervously. 

“So if we steal this ‘Treasure’ thing from Kamoshida, he’ll admit what he did wrong?” Ann questioned Morgana. “He’ll change?”

“With his distorted desires gone, it would be inevitable,” Morgana said, seemingly pleased with himself. 

“You don’t need to get involved,” Akira said, hardly seconds before Morgana had stopped talking. “We’ll… We’ll take care of him.”

“Don’t need to get involved?” Ryuji hissed through gritted teeth and furrows brows. “After that shit we’ve seen? This involves us too!”

Akira was quiet, not looking at either Ann or Ryuji. “…I wasn’t saying you couldn’t. I was saying you didn’t have to be if you didn’t want to.”

“This is important,” Ann said, crossing her arms with a frown. “It’s like Ryuji said. We’ve already seen what’s going on. We can’t just stand by and do nothing while others are suffering. We’re not those kinds of people.”

Morgana purred happily. “Then welcome to the team!”

Not a day later, the group meets up outside of Shujin, prepared to enter Kamoshida’s Castle. Once more, the world shifts, tugs, and pulls, making Ann and Ryuji’s stomachs do flips and gymnastics. When the world stops moving, they all stand on the gate outside of the castle, donning the strange costumes from before.

“Now we need to come up with codenames,” Morgana declares.

Shiho nods. “It’s safer than using our real names,” she explains. “I’m Estelle, he’s Joker and that’s Mona.”

“Well, when it’s me, it’s gotta be somethin’ with this mask,” Ryuji said, feeling along the uneven edges of his metal mask. 

“Ooooh, it’s edgy! Like a skull!” Ann said. Her eyes lit up. “Skull! That could be your codename!”

Ryuji grinned brightly. “Yeah! I’m Skull!”

“So then what about me?” Ann said thoughtfully, twirling her pigtail.

Everyone considered for a moment before Shiho smirked, leaning an arm on Ann’s shoulder. “Whaddya say… Panther?”

Ann’s eyes widened again. “Panther…” she said, sounding out the word. “I like it!” She giggled and hugged Shiho. “You know me so well!”

“Well, of course I do,” Shiho said, hugging her back.

With that settled, Joker led the way into the castle, with Estelle, Mona, Panther, and Skull following close behind.

There was something extremely invigorating about fighting alongside the others, backs pressed together and confident that they’ll have your back if you get stuck in a sticky situation. For much of Ann’s lif,e she didn’t have that. Meeting Shiho and becoming friends allowed her to have someone in her corner at school, and when Ryuji joined her in modeling, she had someone at her back there too.

Though she had always known that since becoming friends with the two, it was another thing to have those bonds be put to the test. To see how far they would go for each other, how much they were willing to risk, what they were willing to do. And in many more ways than she could count, it felt _satisfying_ to know that Shiho and Ryuji would go to the same lengths for her that she would go for them.

With Shiho’s natural abilities as a tactician, Morgana’s knowledge of the Metaverse, and Akira’s awe inspiring (and jealousy inducing) powers, it seemed it wasn’t long before they were at the halfway point. 

And it disgusted Ann. 

All those books in that library, degrading the girls at school. And the one about Ryuji… Ann had seen one with Akira’s name, but had hid it out of instinct before it could be looked at any closer by the others. 

And when they’d solved the puzzle? Ann wanted to puke, bile rising in her throat. The room beyond the library was covered in pictures of Shiho, many in compromising positions. Ann felt a surge of anger when Shiho began to shake and shiver silently at the sight of the pictures, and a pinch of jealousy flared when it was _Akira_ Shiho turned to for comfort. 

“…Let’s go,” Ryuji said, picking up the second half of the map and the medal on top of it. “This place effin’ sucks.”

The jealousy went away just as quick as it had come. Ryuji was right. They had other things to worry about… like punching Kamoshida in the face. She could worry about her jealousy later, when it wouldn’t interfere with what they were trying to do.

The path to the end where the Treasure laid was much shorter. 

And the thing they were supposed to get… was a blob. A floating, sparkly blob of pure desire, apparently.

“Now, we send the calling card,” Morgana explained. “But we have to enter the Palace within the day we sent it. It’s the best time, no, the _only_ opportunity we’ll have to steal it.”

“Tomorrow, then,” Akira said.

“Who should write the card?” Ann asked, and both Ryuji and Shiho looked at her with stars in their eyes.

“I’ll do it!” both exclaimed.

Ann and Akira shared a look, and Ann was certain that was the first time she’d ever completely agreed with him on something. Their shared acknowledgement that their friends were dorks.

“Go ahead,” Akira said. “You can both collaborate.”

“It’ll be just like that project from middle school!” Shiho said, wrapping her arms around Ryuji’s neck.

Ryuji paled. “Let’s… hope it turns out better than that.”

“I’ll pick up some more supplies tonight,” Akira said. “Text me when you’ve finished the card.”

“Roger, boss!” Shiho said, giving him a mock salute before dragging Ryuji away.

The group dispersed, and all headed for their separate homes. The next day, Ann walked into school with countless little red cards plastered on the noticeboard and all of the shoe lockers. The more they reached, the better she supposed. 

“Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust,” Ann read aloud. “We know how shitty you are, and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow, so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.” She sighed silently, but it felt like a heavy weight on her chest. _Oh Ryuji…_

Shiho and Ryuji seemed to pop out of the woodworks and pounced on Ann, each with an arm around her shoulders.

“So, whaddya think?” Ryuji asked, a wide grin on his face. Shiho held a very similar one.

“I came up with the ‘Phantom Thieves of Hearts’ bit,” Shiho said proudly.

Ann had to resist the urge to sigh even harder than before. 

“I liked it.”

Ann jumped and whirled around to see Akira standing there, holding the card that had been on his locker, reading it intently. A small smirk played at his lips in a way that was unfairly attractive.

“Thanks, man!” Ryuji said, cheeks going a pretty, glowing pink and _oh no_ , he couldn’t be going down the rabbit hole like Shiho had, could he? It would _not_ be fair if Akira stole _all_ of Ann’s friends! Especially when she didn’t have that many to begin with!

“It gets the point across,” Akira said, pocketing the calling card. “I like the logo.”

Ryuji scratched the back of his neck, looking more embarrassed than before. “Heh… really? I ain’t really good at art, but thanks, man…”

“Who did this!? Was it you!?”

The group turned as Kamoshida raged at any students nearby the noticeboard. It was a slight, barely noticeable movement as Akira balled his fists in his pockets. Kamoshida turned in a rage, glaring at Akira from across the hall. He stomped over to them like a child who didn’t get their way, stopping to stand tall and imposing before the four of them.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” he growled, just centimeters from Akira’s face. Akira didn’t blink or step back, he didn’t even _flinch_ , an impressive feat when cornered by Kamoshida. Instead, Akira stared back at him defiantly.

“So what if it was?” he said, sounding the most emotionless Ann had ever heard him. 

Kamoshida growled and stomped away. Morgana popped his head out of Akira’s bag. “The Treasure will have appeared now,” he said. “I hope you’re all prepared.”

Shiho’s expression became stoney as she gave a resolute nod. Ryuji and Ann shared a look to show their agreement. They were all ready for this. 

The next day, they entered the Palace. 

It took all four of them to carry the frankly atrociously sized crown that was Kamoshida’s Treasure… only for a volleyball to knock it away from them and cause the four to be throw away from one another.

The battle truly began when Kamoshida turned into a giant, disgusting monster. 

Akira watched the movement of the battle closely, noting when Kamoshida was getting the higher ground by using that blood red, wine like liquid to heal himself and then ordering the other thieves to break the glass. With few words and shared looks, he ordered Ryuji to steal the crown from atop Kamoshida’s head. 

The moment Ryuji knocked the crown from Kamoshida’s head, it shrunk in size and Kamoshida seemed to wilt. It was much too easy to defeat him after that. 

But still, he tried to run once he’d been returned to his human form, the he was cornered by the balcony, looking over the same view Shiho saw whenever she stood at the edge of the roof. Akira was always there to hold her back, one of the very few things she’d asked of him. But he didn’t need to, because Shiho didn’t want to jump anymore. 

“You’re nothing but a pathetic, despicable bastard,” Shiho seethed. “How many have you hurt and abused for your own petty, selfish gain? How many futures did you intend to ruin, Kamoshida? How many were you willing to take for your own amusement?” Her hands shook in rage, but she turned her back on him, not even giving him the luxury of seeing the tears fall down her cheeks.

“Go to to the real world and atone for your crimes,” Akira said, and Kamoshida disappeared, leaving the crown on the ground. Akira picked it up, and the entire castle began to shake. 

“We have to go, now!” Morgana shrieked, quickly leading the way out of the Palace. 

And then, all they had to do was wait for Kamoshida to confess his crimes himself. Which was the biggest problem. It wasn’t even just that Ann didn’t like waiting, even though it was common knowledge that she wasn’t exactly a… _patient_ person. 

What irked her the most was that she seemed to be the only one not enamoured with the pretty boy transfer. Even if half the things the girls in their class spouted were horrible rumors spread by Kamoshida, the other half were comments about how ‘handsome’ or ‘studious’ or ‘cool’ he looked… and Shiho and Ryuji weren’t any better.

Shiho, it was clear from the beginning, was on good terms with Akira. Ann wasn’t completely sure about how that had happened or the story behind it, and both were frustratingly tight lipped about it.

But _Ryuji_? Ann had thought he was going to be on her side! But he _wasn’t_ , he was busy getting all buddy-buddy with Akira-freaking-Kursuru and blushing whenever he got a message from him and telling Ann “He’s really not that bad!”

But that wasn’t even the worst of it. The worst of it came in the form that they still had tutoring with Akira three days out of the week in order to get their grades up, and two out of the three Ann had to sit with Akira by herself because Ryuji had to help his mom. It wasn’t like Ann had anything against Mrs. Sakamoto, contrarily she was a very sweet woman who needed all the help she could get as she got older, but still… It was Ryuji who was against him being their tutor in the first place!

So all Ann had to do was wait for Kamoshida to confess the shitty things he had done and sit around with Mr. Obnoxiously Handsome as he tried to teach her things she couldn’t possible understand.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” she complained, tossing her English homework packet across the table. “Latin roots? Greek roots? I can speak English but this is ridiculous!” She leaned heavily on her fist as she frowned at Akira. “How are you so good at this?” she grumbled. 

Akira shrugged as he shuffled his papers. “I can speak Latin and Greek fairly well, though they’re a little down their on my list of languages.”

Ann eyed him skeptically. “How many languages can you speak?” she questioned.

“ _English is my second language._ Mais j'ai aussi le français en bas. Deutsch ist schwerer. Ma sto imparando l'italiano. Русский тоже. En ole vielä- uh, reached?- suomen kielelle.”

Ann could only stare gobsmacked at Mr. I-Don’t-Know-I’m-Just-That-Good as he bashfully looked to the side and rubbed the back of his neck. As if what he had done _wasn’t impressive_. Ann had thoughts of smacking him, for even thinking that, and smacking herself, for letting her guard down enough to think that the fact he was so oblivious was _sweet_ and _cute_.

Before she could even think about acting on either of those thoughts, Akira cleared his throat. “We should, uh, pack up for the day,” he said. “I’ll send you some helpful materials to help you finish your homework later.”

Ann tapped her fingers against her cheek as her expression turned into a scowl. “Right…” she said, still not thoroughly on board with this whole ‘let’s trust Akira’ thing. 

Sometimes, she had to wonder if the rumors really _were_ true, seeing how feral and unhinged he got during the fights in the Palace. She wasn’t going to say “I told you so” if it turned out he was not even just bad but _terrible_ news, but she was going to be the first person to bounce back and sock Akira in the face, allowing Ryuji and Shiho the opportunity to run or join in.

If those two weren’t going to protect themselves, the least Ann could do was protect them. No matter how sweet and innocent Akira’s face looked when he smiled at her as they parted ways at the school gate.

Days later, Kamoshida went to jail for the crimes he’d committed against students, and Shiho gave her testimony of the graphic assault she’d endured that had almost made her take her life. 

Ann discovered why Shiho and Akira were so close… it didn’t mean she liked it, or liked him, but it gave her enough trust to give him her vote for leader. It wasn’t like anyone else could have handled it, and it made it easier to watch his moves. 

After all, business with the Phantom Thieves was only beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Akira's language thing - English is my second language. But I also have French down. German is hard. But I’m also learning Italian. And Russian. I haven’t quite- uh, reached?- Finnish.
> 
> This is what it's supposed to say, but we all know how Google Translate is, don't we?


End file.
